13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”;
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
While the believer is not to dwell on tomorrow, the Scriptures do leave room for him to plan for the future, but to do so properly. James uses and example of a Jewish merchant who travels to a city and makes arrangements to stay for a year, so he can become wealthy, buying and selling his goods. However, the apostle shows the foolishness of this type of reasoning, seeing that the merchant acts as though he’s in control of the future. … Life is like the mist that rises from a lake on a cool morning; it appears for a short time and then vanishes. James reminds the merchant how unwise it is to leave God out of his plans. … Since the future and the days of our lives are in God’s hands, the apostle shows his hearers how to properly plan … — Sadler, pages 119-120.
__________
Instead of bragging about the future (v.13), we should humbly submit to God’s sovereignty (v.15) — Grace, page 2201.
__________
boast (v.16) — Instead of having pride in our self-confidence, we should have humility. Satan also made arrogant “I will” statements (Isaiah 14:13-14). — Grace, page 2201.
__________